Dr. Alena Papenfuss

Dr. Alena Papenfuss is a licensed Naturopathic Medical Doctor in the state of Arizona.  She has a long history in healthcare starting as a Physical Therapist Assistant and later becoming a physical therapist and teacher.  She has long held the belief that a doctor’s most important responsibility is to listen to the patient.  She believes it is only by listening to a patient that a physician can truly begin to understand what the patient is experiencing.  While listening is an important step in the diagnosis of an illness, Dr.Papenfuss is also trained to interpret lab results and imaging beyond looking at the “normal” range to assist in finding the root cause of the problem, a responsibility Dr. Papenfuss takes very seriously.  She continues to study new research to find the cause of what seems to be “new” health problems in today’s population such as:  Spike protein pathologies, Long Covid, mold exposure and toxicity, as well as Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), metabolic syndrome, and Type II Diabetes.  In addition, Dr. Papenfuss counsels and treats pre-and post-menopausal women on a variety of symptoms unique to women and teaches them about healthy aging.  She stays updated on the uses of herbal medicine as well as lifestyle, nutritional changes and personalized exercise prescriptions to help people achieve their optimal health.  She loves educating her patients and others on how they can take charge of their health, not only in person but in providing classes on a variety of subjects. 

In her free time, she loves to travel, hike, road bike and create herbal medicine.  Cooking healthy dinners and desserts are also things she loves to do for her family and friends.